Chapter 25: The Maneuver of Love and the Horse-Faced Hero part-4
Kirito gasped. The world snapped into sharp, fluid focus. He flexed his hand. "Whoa. That is smooth."
(You are welcome. Now, Asuna is walking over. She looks concerned. Don't tell her you were lagging. Tell her you were... meditating.)
"Kirito-kun!" Asuna ran over. "You were freezing up! Are you okay? Maybe you should sit this raid out."
Null_Set stepped forward, his pixelated cloak swirling. "Yes, Kirito. You look unstable. Perhaps you should let me protect Asuna today. My connection is... flawless."
He smirked, a jagged, digital expression.
Kirito gripped the hilt of his sword, Elucidator.
(He is trying to bait you,) Ethan warned. (He thinks you are still lagging. He expects you to swing and miss by three seconds. Let us surprise him. Challenge him to a duel. First blood.)
"I am fine, Asuna," Kirito said calmly. He turned to Null_Set. "Actually, I feel faster than ever. How about a warm-up duel? If your connection is so good, you shouldn't mind."
Null_Set laughed. (Fool. I will spike his ping to 5000 the moment the duel starts. He won't even see me move.)
"I accept," Null_Set said.
A duel window popped up. [Duel Mode: First Strike.]
[3... 2... 1... START!]
Null_Set immediately activated his cheat. [Packet Flood: Target Kirito.]
(Incoming data packet flood!) Ethan alerted. (System Countermeasure: firewall "The Great Wall". Bounce it back!)
Ethan deflected the lag spike. Instead of hitting Kirito, the data packets ricocheted off Ethan's shield and slammed back into Null_Set's router.
Null_Set froze. He didn't just freeze metaphorically; his avatar literally froze in mid-step. A red icon appeared above his head: [Connection Interrupted].
Null_Set's eyes darted around in panic. (Why can't I move? Why is everyone teleporting?)
"You seem... stuck," Kirito quipped.
(Finish him, Kirito. Use Starburst Stream. Just kidding, that is overkill. Just poke him.)
Kirito blurred forward. To Null_Set, Kirito appeared to teleport behind him instantly—not because of lag, but because of pure speed.
TAP.
Kirito's blade gently touched Null_Set's back.
[WINNER: KIRITO]
Null_Set's connection finally caught up. He collapsed to his knees, gasping. "H-how? I had the bandwidth!"
"You relied on the hardware," Kirito said, sheathing his sword with a cool click. "You forgot about the software. And the skill."
Asuna clapped, her eyes shining. "That was amazing, Kirito! You were so fast I couldn't even track you!"
"Just a good day," Kirito smiled. He offered a hand to Asuna. "Ready for the boss?"
"With you? Always," she beamed.
Null_Set faded away, forcefully logged out by the System for "Suspicious Network Activity" (Ethan reported him to the Game Mods while the duel was happening).
[Incident Report: World 9][Target: Kirito & Asuna.][Status: Connection Stable. Love: synchronized.][Villain Status: Banned for cheating.][Reward: 800 System Points.]
(Game over, villain. Game over.)
[System Alert: Anomaly Detected.][World Designation: World 10 - The World of Shadows (Solo Leveling Universe).][Host: Sung Jin-Woo.][Villain Identity: "The Monarch of Harems" (Transmigrator).][Target: Cha Hae-In.]
(Sung Jin-Woo? The Shadow Monarch? Does he even need help? He has an army of shadows!)
[Villain Strategy: The Villain has a "Holy Light" attribute that naturally repels shadows, making Jin-Woo unable to approach Cha Hae-In without his shadows screaming in pain. The Villain plans to convince Cha Hae-In that Jin-Woo is "cursed" and dangerous to her.]
(Okay, that is actually a clever counter. Creating a physical barrier between lovers using their own powers. Cruel. But I have a workaround. If shadows don't work... we will just have to use... sunglasses? No, that is stupid. We will figure it out. Let's go.)
[Initiating Transfer...]
..............
World 10: The World of Shadows (Solo Leveling Universe)
Ethan arrived in a world of stark contrasts. Dark dungeons and blinding city lights.
He was inside Sung Jin-Woo. The man felt like a bottomless ocean of cold power. It was intimidating.
(Jin-Woo? Can you hear me?)
"I hear you," Jin-Woo replied. His mental voice was calm, deep, and terrifyingly composed. "You are not a Shadow. What are you?"
(I am... let us call me a Guest. I am here to help you with the Hunter named Cha Hae-In. And the guy in the white armor who is currently blinding your army.)
Jin-Woo looked across the training hall of the Hunter Association.
Cha Hae-In was standing there, holding her nose (she was sensitive to mana smells). Next to her was "Luminous," a Transmigrator glowing with a blinding golden light.
Whenever Jin-Woo tried to step closer, the shadows at his feet hissed and recoiled from Luminous's aura.
"He is annoying," Jin-Woo stated. "I cannot approach Cha Hunter. My soldiers are in pain."
(He is using a 'Holy Aura' cheat. He is telling her right now that your darkness is toxic to her sensitive constitution. He says only his light can 'purify' the air for her. We need to shut that light off.)
"How?" Jin-Woo asked. "If I attack him, the Association will intervene."
(We don't attack physically. We attack... economically. And stylishly. System Shop: Purchase Item "The Void Sunglasses of Coolness". Cost: 500 Points. Effect: Blocks 100 percent of Holy Glare and allows the wearer to see 'True Intentions'.)
(Also, purchase skill: "Shadow Karaoke". Wait, no, that is a misclick. Purchase skill: "Shadow Manipulation: The Eclipse".)
(Jin-Woo. Use your shadows not to fight, but to filter. Create a dome. A gentle, dimming dome around the room. Turn the lights down low. Set the mood.)
Jin-Woo raised a hand. "Arise."
But he didn't summon soldiers. He summoned raw shadow. The shadows crept up the walls, over the ceiling, and covered the fluorescent lights. The room plunged into a soft, romantic twilight.
Luminous's glow suddenly became glaringly harsh in the darkness. It wasn't comforting anymore; it was like a spotlight in a movie theater. It was obnoxious.
"Turn it off!" someone yelled. "My eyes!"
Cha Hae-In squinted, shielding her eyes from Luminous. "Mr. Luminous... you are too bright."
"It is the light of purity!" Luminous declared desperately. "It cleanses the darkness!"
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